Personal gifts of Iranian president to be sold at auction

Personal gifts of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will be sold at auction, Mehr news agency reported.

The gifts include those that Ahmadinejad received from various foreign officials in his years on the post of Iranian president.

State Welfare Organization of Iran will handle the auction sales. An exhibition of the gifts collection has already been held for 5 days in Iran.

The auction itself will start on March 11.

Before last year, the gifts to Iranian presidents were stored in the special Presidential Gifts Museum, however last year Ahmadinejad has decided to give the presents he personally received and those given to his family, to the State Welfare Organization.

The organization will use the money from sold items at the auction for construction of new houses for its employees and people who live below poverty line in Iran.

Overall, Ahmadinejad submitted 72 items to the State Welfare Organization last year. 21 of those items were sold for $350,000 despite the forecasted sum being about 90,000.

The remaining 51 items will be placed on auction this current Iranian calendar year. Among the gifts are expensive watches, pens, and jewelry.